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Deadly Mystery #1
Deadly Nightshade
The first in a new mystery series from the legendary author of the Man From C.A.M.P. and Longhorns, Victor J. Banis. Straight cop, gay cop, and a woman who "isn't real." Tom and Stanley are on the trail of a drag queen serial killer, and along the way, they find themselves engaged in a more intimate pursuit, trying to resolve another mystery: their unexpected attraction to one another.
228 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
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969 people want to read
About the author
Victor J. Banis
138 books214 followersVictor J. Banis is a writer. http://www.vjbanisauthor.com/
Victor Jerome Banis (May 25, 1937 – February 22, 2019) was an American author, often associated with the first wave of west coast gay writing. For his contributions he has been called "the godfather of modern popular gay fiction
Victor Jerome Banis (May 25, 1937 – February 22, 2019) was an American author, often associated with the first wave of west coast gay writing. For his contributions he has been called "the godfather of modern popular gay fiction
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
May 25, 2020
3.5 stars
-I ended up liking it more than i thought i would.
-The story and the writing is weirdly entertaining.
-Straight macho Cop and Out and proud Gay Cop pairing was definitely interesting. Tom and Stanley's partnership was filled with hilarious moments. I liked them a lot.
-I didn't believe in their relationship, kinda came out of nowhere but it didn't bother me at all.
-The case was interesting and the perp, lawd! what a fucked up situation. The investigation process was questionable though.
- We got Drag Queens. Yay!
Overall, it was hilarious and enjoyable.
-I ended up liking it more than i thought i would.
-The story and the writing is weirdly entertaining.
-Straight macho Cop and Out and proud Gay Cop pairing was definitely interesting. Tom and Stanley's partnership was filled with hilarious moments. I liked them a lot.
-I didn't believe in their relationship, kinda came out of nowhere but it didn't bother me at all.
-The case was interesting and the perp, lawd! what a fucked up situation. The investigation process was questionable though.
- We got Drag Queens. Yay!
Overall, it was hilarious and enjoyable.
October 30, 2016
Rounded up to 4 stars.
It was my first of Victor J. Banis and for sure not the last one, but I have difficulties to rate the first book in
Deadly Mystery series. It evoked and provoked many different emotions from wow to wtf/meh, and offered an extended range of all possible ratings - from 2 to 5.
What I really enjoyed:
**In spite of two dead bodies and some attempted murders it was an easy and witty read.
**The MCs are CHARMING. They couldn't be more different! An openly gay homicide detective Stanley seems to conform to all the clichés of a typical gay guy, as well as his new partner Tom of a typical butchy-macho cop. But we all know that opposites attract, and the author plays with this contradiction perfectly. The interaction between Tom and Stanley has a big potential. I'm looking forward to reading more about them.
**The writing style is simple but not flat, the dialogues are funny and well written.
But I had also some eye-roll moments, and some problems with:
**Mystery itself. It wasn't uninteresting but the investigation wasn't very convincing IMO.
**The mutual attraction between them has developed TOO quickly, as well as the Tom's willingness and the WAY to thank Stanley for his cooperation and support. I just couldn't buy it.
**I still don't know where to order this story about Moira's childhood. It was one of these WTF-moments.
But all in all, it is a very promising mystery series with a high fun factor and for sure it's worth to give a try.
November 1, 2016
I quite admire this novel for being...different.
I admit I was not really aware of the world of transsexual drag queens and the (wanna-be straight?) men who lust after them, thinking it's easier to go for a guy in a dress than go for the real deal and consider yourself gay.
As such, this story described a totally new world and also portrayed characters that I've never seen in this constellation before:
Stanley Korski is a cop who just switched to the homicide department. The funny thing is, he's a willowy twink who is also flamboyantly gay and doesn't make a secret of lusting after his newly assigned hot and hairy hunk of a partner, Tom Danzel. Only, Tom is straight, hates 'fags' and is not shy in letting Stan know how he feels.
Together they're assigned to solve the murder of a guy who picked up a whore and got shot in the chest by the lady after - according to eye witnesses - discovering that she wasn't in fact a 'lady'.
Investigating in the drag scene isn't a task that Tom would have liked to do on his own, so he's happy to have gay expert Stan by his side to do the translations.
Tom is a lady's man through and through. He likes big tits, a round pelvis and a good hetersexual f*** without strings attached.
Asking questions in the city's most popular drag club confuses him immensely. Beautiful girls wherever you look. How can they NOT be real? And why does the thought turn him on somehow?! Looking at his handsome twink of a partner, he wonders what Stan would look like in drag. He's sure he'd be just as pretty as the 'girls' around here...
You get where this is heading.
The romance part and the straight-to-gay transition is pretty unique here. I can only assume that the intention behind the story is that Tom is a repressed gay man (which I tend to think most GFY MCs are) who is only willing to explore his homosexual side if he can still convince himself that it's the female attitudes in his love interest that make it possible to get physical with Stan. Still, he cannot shake off the fact that Stan is a man and therefore anything between them is doomed from the start.
That aspect was actually new to me in m/m romance, so I was positively surprised. More often than not, it's hot muscled jocks who go all GFY over each other - making me wonder when they were ever straight...
Still I had several serious issues with the story:
It's clear that Stan has the hots for gorgeous Tom right from the start, but even though he knows the man is straight and a colleague, he makes pretty direct advances. The most disturbing moment was the
I also didn't like Tom turning to Stan whenever he was horny, expecting him to give him a blow job without offering anything in return. But Tom redeemed himself at the end, so I'm willing to let that pass.
And I really wanted to punch Stan in the face when he commented on Tom's disorderly apartment, saying Tom needed a wife to look after him. What gay man in his right mind would say a thing like that?! Any man, gay, bi or straight has to be able to do his own dishes/laundry/etc. It's not the 1950s!!
And even worse, Stan started washing his dishes and cooking for him even though they were not even together. Is he insane?! He might as well start wearing an apron and re-enact vintage TV ads.
Not that gender roles weren't all over the place anyway, in this story.
Their relationship seems to evolve over several books, so there's no HEA or even HFN in this story. It actually ends on a pretty sad note.
I will have to read on with the series soon, because Tom and Stan are an interesting and sweet couple. I like Tom's protectiveness over Stan. He is a confused guy, but you can tell early on, he's a good guy who just doesn't know better.
I would LOVE to see how Tom will shake off his persistent heterosexual tendencies (and start cleaning his apartment by himself!!).
The humor in this book was pretty cute. Some jokes didn't work for me at all, but most of the time, I found the humor totally entertaining.
I'm not sure how to rate this, it's somewhere between 3 and 4 stars for me. I liked the characters a lot and the crime plot was logical and well resolved, but some themes and the overall writing (way too many POVs and POV changes within a passage) were too inconsistent to justify a higher rating for me.
3.5 stars!
I admit I was not really aware of the world of transsexual drag queens and the (wanna-be straight?) men who lust after them, thinking it's easier to go for a guy in a dress than go for the real deal and consider yourself gay.
As such, this story described a totally new world and also portrayed characters that I've never seen in this constellation before:
Stanley Korski is a cop who just switched to the homicide department. The funny thing is, he's a willowy twink who is also flamboyantly gay and doesn't make a secret of lusting after his newly assigned hot and hairy hunk of a partner, Tom Danzel. Only, Tom is straight, hates 'fags' and is not shy in letting Stan know how he feels.
Together they're assigned to solve the murder of a guy who picked up a whore and got shot in the chest by the lady after - according to eye witnesses - discovering that she wasn't in fact a 'lady'.
Investigating in the drag scene isn't a task that Tom would have liked to do on his own, so he's happy to have gay expert Stan by his side to do the translations.
Tom is a lady's man through and through. He likes big tits, a round pelvis and a good hetersexual f*** without strings attached.
Asking questions in the city's most popular drag club confuses him immensely. Beautiful girls wherever you look. How can they NOT be real? And why does the thought turn him on somehow?! Looking at his handsome twink of a partner, he wonders what Stan would look like in drag. He's sure he'd be just as pretty as the 'girls' around here...
You get where this is heading.
The romance part and the straight-to-gay transition is pretty unique here. I can only assume that the intention behind the story is that Tom is a repressed gay man (which I tend to think most GFY MCs are) who is only willing to explore his homosexual side if he can still convince himself that it's the female attitudes in his love interest that make it possible to get physical with Stan. Still, he cannot shake off the fact that Stan is a man and therefore anything between them is doomed from the start.
That aspect was actually new to me in m/m romance, so I was positively surprised. More often than not, it's hot muscled jocks who go all GFY over each other - making me wonder when they were ever straight...
Still I had several serious issues with the story:
It's clear that Stan has the hots for gorgeous Tom right from the start, but even though he knows the man is straight and a colleague, he makes pretty direct advances. The most disturbing moment was the
I also didn't like Tom turning to Stan whenever he was horny, expecting him to give him a blow job without offering anything in return. But Tom redeemed himself at the end, so I'm willing to let that pass.
And I really wanted to punch Stan in the face when he commented on Tom's disorderly apartment, saying Tom needed a wife to look after him. What gay man in his right mind would say a thing like that?! Any man, gay, bi or straight has to be able to do his own dishes/laundry/etc. It's not the 1950s!!
And even worse, Stan started washing his dishes and cooking for him even though they were not even together. Is he insane?! He might as well start wearing an apron and re-enact vintage TV ads.
Not that gender roles weren't all over the place anyway, in this story.
Their relationship seems to evolve over several books, so there's no HEA or even HFN in this story. It actually ends on a pretty sad note.
I will have to read on with the series soon, because Tom and Stan are an interesting and sweet couple. I like Tom's protectiveness over Stan. He is a confused guy, but you can tell early on, he's a good guy who just doesn't know better.
I would LOVE to see how Tom will shake off his persistent heterosexual tendencies (and start cleaning his apartment by himself!!).
The humor in this book was pretty cute. Some jokes didn't work for me at all, but most of the time, I found the humor totally entertaining.
I'm not sure how to rate this, it's somewhere between 3 and 4 stars for me. I liked the characters a lot and the crime plot was logical and well resolved, but some themes and the overall writing (way too many POVs and POV changes within a passage) were too inconsistent to justify a higher rating for me.
3.5 stars!
July 12, 2013
In the beginning, I found Banis’ humour heavy and passive aggressive. It’s fun to play being politically incorrect, but after too many jokes, you start to sound insecure and annoying. In the end, I found him sharp and hilarious, and sometimes, I frowned, rolled my eyes and laughed at the same quip or extravagance.
Sure, he dropped it a notch in the meantime but it’s also because as heavy and ferocious as the fag and Neanderthal jokes are, it’s just that. Stanley and Tom are two living clichés for one another, they are standing at opposite ends and they are uncomfortable, defensive and aggressive in the beginning. It’s also because as acerbic and down to earth as he is, the author explores what lies behind and between the stereotypes with understanding and something akin to tenderness.
This is not another case of closeted cop and this is not another case of Gay For You either. This is about a drag queen serial killer, 2 cops who are forced to work together and become partners, about unrequited love, sexuality and blurred lines.
The mystery was not unpredictable but well put together and punched me in the guts, Tom and Stanley squeezed my heart and made me laugh my ass off, I want to know what's going to happen next and yippee! There are 5 more books to read!
Sure, he dropped it a notch in the meantime but it’s also because as heavy and ferocious as the fag and Neanderthal jokes are, it’s just that. Stanley and Tom are two living clichés for one another, they are standing at opposite ends and they are uncomfortable, defensive and aggressive in the beginning. It’s also because as acerbic and down to earth as he is, the author explores what lies behind and between the stereotypes with understanding and something akin to tenderness.
This is not another case of closeted cop and this is not another case of Gay For You either. This is about a drag queen serial killer, 2 cops who are forced to work together and become partners, about unrequited love, sexuality and blurred lines.
The mystery was not unpredictable but well put together and punched me in the guts, Tom and Stanley squeezed my heart and made me laugh my ass off, I want to know what's going to happen next and yippee! There are 5 more books to read!
December 17, 2014
I can't help it. I love cliffhanger endings.
Great book. Very witty dialogue. The least sexually arousing sex scene I've ever read, but somehow it made sense.
I love Stanley. I love Tom.
But seriously, the dialogue is out of this world hilarious.
Great book. Very witty dialogue. The least sexually arousing sex scene I've ever read, but somehow it made sense.
I love Stanley. I love Tom.
But seriously, the dialogue is out of this world hilarious.
September 30, 2021
My two friends that supply me with tons of these books just handed me this and said, "We haven't read it yet. Thought you could be our guinea pig". Not sure if that was intended to express my great evaluation of literature or if they were expressing something that I might not want to examine too closely. Nonetheless...read it I did...and I liked it. I felt rather sorry for poor Tom. He was not expecting Stanly or the effect that Stanly had on him. He thought it was a bad case of indigestion but Pepcid was not helping any and every time Stanly looked at him he had to take some more. Them working that out was almost as good as the rest of the story. In Deadly Nightshade, we are introduced to the transgender world of San Francisco and certain parts are an eye opener for me....since I didn't know much about the transgender population. The story is layered with suspense and I never guessed the murderer. There were some issues with Stanley that seemed "odd". He had some unrealistic "gun" issues. How did he ever graduate from any police academy? Other than that the rest was 4 easily earned stars. The ending, is a fairly exciting climax. I'm going to tell my two friends they can purchase book #2 anytime now.
December 27, 2009
This is another gay-themed murder mystery series (aside PsyCop and Adrien English) that piques my curiousity because it seems as getting good reviews. I have to say, as for the first book, it surely captures my interest. The mystery part is intriguing ... I was able to figure out the real murderer but the journey of getting there was good. Of course, in series like this, the characters are very important as well because the story is about them as much as the murder case.
I feel this time the book is different. Unlike the other books, both men are gays. I mean, sure, Jake (in Adrien English) is a closeted gay cop but he has sex with other men. Tom Danzel, on the other hand, is well, straight. He might care for Stanley Kroski, his openly gay new partner (who's queer as three dollar bills, so to speak), but it is because Stanley is Stanley. Not because Tom is gay. So, it's VERY intriguing book and I would really like to know how their relationship evolves. Because honestly, I really do think that Tom can fall in love with Stanley, the way that Stanley falls for him. Is this means there's going to be more angst?? Again, VERY intriguing ...
I feel this time the book is different. Unlike the other books, both men are gays. I mean, sure, Jake (in Adrien English) is a closeted gay cop but he has sex with other men. Tom Danzel, on the other hand, is well, straight. He might care for Stanley Kroski, his openly gay new partner (who's queer as three dollar bills, so to speak), but it is because Stanley is Stanley. Not because Tom is gay. So, it's VERY intriguing book and I would really like to know how their relationship evolves. Because honestly, I really do think that Tom can fall in love with Stanley, the way that Stanley falls for him. Is this means there's going to be more angst?? Again, VERY intriguing ...
June 26, 2013
REVIEW OF AUDIOBOOK, JUNE 2013: 1/2 STAR:(
Terrible. Terrible. Horrible. UGH.
Worst narrator I've come across so far. I was so displeased with this item I took a refund on it, which I rarely do even if I didn't like the story. I only take a refund when the narrator did a poor job and so far, I've only refunded 2 books, this one included.
The narrator, Roy Wells, sounded like someone's grandpa with a 3-pack-a-day habit and unlikely to last to the end of the book! Several passages were omitted from his narration, lines repeated and the foreign words (IIRC, it was a French phrase) was just left out. So was the word 'transgender' almost every time. It would be there in my ebook but the narrator just skips it. Kept pulling me out of the story!
To top it all, there was that dog barking in the background somewhere in chapter 3, I think, which made me wonder if this audiobook was produced in the narrator's house (I'm not familiar with how/where these narrators record the books). At first, I thought it was coming from my apartment but it wasn't (I paused the audio to check). Then some chapters later (16, IIRC), the dog is back but fainter. Weird.
This truly is the worst audiobook production and Audible ought to redo this and pull this version from their shelves. I only lasted till two chapters before the end and couldn't stand the narrator anymore so I just reread the remainder.
The experience put me off so much I held off listening to the next book, Deadly Wrong which is narrated by a different guy, Guy Veryzer, who is halfway through the narration of the 3rd installment at this writing. I took off to listen to the award-winning, classically-trained Kaleo Griffith in Breaking Point.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
REVIEW OF FIRST READ, JUNE 2011: 5 STARS
Enjoyed this immensely. There weren't any parts where I had to reread to figure out what the author was trying to say, no mental double-takes, no TSTL behaviour, as tends to happen in romantic suspense. Though I did think Tom ought to have been smarter than to fall for the old trick - trusting a stranger to fetch a drink for him. Of course the expected happens!
Aside that from that, I liked the way the murderer was revealed early...and yet we still don't know his/her identity. Banis used the world ofdrag queens transgenders as an excellent backdrop for this murder mystery.
The relationship between the straight Tom and openly-gay Stanley develops slowly. Very slowly. Yet Stanley's feelings for Tom are unmistakeable. He's obvious enough for his friend, Chris, to warn him about doing anymore swan dives into disastrous romances. Tom, on the other hand, isn't quite there yet - admitting he has romantic feelings for Stanley. In fact, it doesn't quite enter his mind so he's constantly fantasizing about a warm pussy. Nothing quite materializes with this and after all that sexual tension, there's a scene where Tom takes Stanley to a very special place to chill. Stanley, already experiencing pangs of jealousy and suspicions about Tom's interest in adrag queen transgender, Tom tells Stanley, "Don't be."
A whole universe of possibilities in those two little words and left me as bewildered and hopeful as it did Stanley. I'm hoping, of course, that Tom won't be as cruel to Stanley as Jake was to Adrien English but I'm not holding my breath. I can see Stanley totally crushed and devastated before I get to the good part. This series had better have a solid HEA!
Terrible. Terrible. Horrible. UGH.
Worst narrator I've come across so far. I was so displeased with this item I took a refund on it, which I rarely do even if I didn't like the story. I only take a refund when the narrator did a poor job and so far, I've only refunded 2 books, this one included.
The narrator, Roy Wells, sounded like someone's grandpa with a 3-pack-a-day habit and unlikely to last to the end of the book! Several passages were omitted from his narration, lines repeated and the foreign words (IIRC, it was a French phrase) was just left out. So was the word 'transgender' almost every time. It would be there in my ebook but the narrator just skips it. Kept pulling me out of the story!
To top it all, there was that dog barking in the background somewhere in chapter 3, I think, which made me wonder if this audiobook was produced in the narrator's house (I'm not familiar with how/where these narrators record the books). At first, I thought it was coming from my apartment but it wasn't (I paused the audio to check). Then some chapters later (16, IIRC), the dog is back but fainter. Weird.
This truly is the worst audiobook production and Audible ought to redo this and pull this version from their shelves. I only lasted till two chapters before the end and couldn't stand the narrator anymore so I just reread the remainder.
The experience put me off so much I held off listening to the next book, Deadly Wrong which is narrated by a different guy, Guy Veryzer, who is halfway through the narration of the 3rd installment at this writing. I took off to listen to the award-winning, classically-trained Kaleo Griffith in Breaking Point.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
REVIEW OF FIRST READ, JUNE 2011: 5 STARS
Enjoyed this immensely. There weren't any parts where I had to reread to figure out what the author was trying to say, no mental double-takes, no TSTL behaviour, as tends to happen in romantic suspense. Though I did think Tom ought to have been smarter than to fall for the old trick - trusting a stranger to fetch a drink for him. Of course the expected happens!
Aside that from that, I liked the way the murderer was revealed early...and yet we still don't know his/her identity. Banis used the world of
The relationship between the straight Tom and openly-gay Stanley develops slowly. Very slowly. Yet Stanley's feelings for Tom are unmistakeable. He's obvious enough for his friend, Chris, to warn him about doing anymore swan dives into disastrous romances. Tom, on the other hand, isn't quite there yet - admitting he has romantic feelings for Stanley. In fact, it doesn't quite enter his mind so he's constantly fantasizing about a warm pussy. Nothing quite materializes with this and after all that sexual tension, there's a scene where Tom takes Stanley to a very special place to chill. Stanley, already experiencing pangs of jealousy and suspicions about Tom's interest in a
A whole universe of possibilities in those two little words and left me as bewildered and hopeful as it did Stanley. I'm hoping, of course, that Tom won't be as cruel to Stanley as Jake was to Adrien English but I'm not holding my breath. I can see Stanley totally crushed and devastated before I get to the good part. This series had better have a solid HEA!
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May 18, 2009This is probably one of the less "dreamy" book I read by Victor J. Banis, means that it's pretty down to earth and direct and open, but probably also among my favorite, Lola Dances still has the first place, but this one is very near. I like Victor J. Banis' style, but one thing I almost always regretted, that in the end the two main characters don't walk toward the sunset together; only Lola did, and this is the reason since she is first on my list. Since Deadly Nightshade is only first on a series with the same characters, well, it's not exactly that you will find an happily ever after in there, but it's really close, and I have to say that the closing scene is quite romantic.
Tom is a good homicide detective, but he has not the right skill for the case: a drag queen is killing men around the city, and, well, Tom doesn't know a thing about the dark side of life. And so he is paired with Stanley, that is suddenly promoted detective only for the fact that he is gay. Better Stanley is queer, and he has it written in all he is, small, stylish, intrusive. Stanley never let it go anything, he picks every little fight, he needs to be acknowledge, probably since in his life too many person let him go.
Tom is quite a simple man, not at all the perfect cop... or at least not the perfect fiction cop: divorced (and one of the reason for that is that he was cheating around), disenchanted, not so handsome... let me say that probably he is not a man for whom women swoon. But he has something other than his gruff exterior, an awkwardness, I don't know, like Stanley, probably I think that he is unable to be really bad. For how much big and strong he is, I believe that Stanley could be more lethal.
Anyway Stanley has a thing for him, and he manages to have the man in bed; as expected Tom doesn't protest too much (see what I said above), but it's like he unwillingly surrender to Stanley. Even if Tom likes Stanley, Tom is really straight; in many stories I read where a "straight" man turns gay, he has mental boundaries, but usually his body speaks for him, usually they are attracted from the other man. Here instead Tom can go off with Stanley, no problem, but he is always embarrassed by the fact that Stanley is a man... in a way, Tom loves Stanley, since he IS Stanley, but the main obstacles is that Stanley is a man: having him in a woman body would be better... Said that, it's strange that in the most intimate act they can share, it's Tom that takes the submissive position, but it's another time when Tom proves that he really loves the other man, even if he didn't speak the words.
Probably the main character of the book is Stanley, with his quirk behavior, and his way to investigate, judging a suspect by the way he furnishes the house or chooses the curtains, but who stole my heart is Tom. I'm really interested in seeing how he evolves in the future books.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/193453174X/?...
Tom is a good homicide detective, but he has not the right skill for the case: a drag queen is killing men around the city, and, well, Tom doesn't know a thing about the dark side of life. And so he is paired with Stanley, that is suddenly promoted detective only for the fact that he is gay. Better Stanley is queer, and he has it written in all he is, small, stylish, intrusive. Stanley never let it go anything, he picks every little fight, he needs to be acknowledge, probably since in his life too many person let him go.
Tom is quite a simple man, not at all the perfect cop... or at least not the perfect fiction cop: divorced (and one of the reason for that is that he was cheating around), disenchanted, not so handsome... let me say that probably he is not a man for whom women swoon. But he has something other than his gruff exterior, an awkwardness, I don't know, like Stanley, probably I think that he is unable to be really bad. For how much big and strong he is, I believe that Stanley could be more lethal.
Anyway Stanley has a thing for him, and he manages to have the man in bed; as expected Tom doesn't protest too much (see what I said above), but it's like he unwillingly surrender to Stanley. Even if Tom likes Stanley, Tom is really straight; in many stories I read where a "straight" man turns gay, he has mental boundaries, but usually his body speaks for him, usually they are attracted from the other man. Here instead Tom can go off with Stanley, no problem, but he is always embarrassed by the fact that Stanley is a man... in a way, Tom loves Stanley, since he IS Stanley, but the main obstacles is that Stanley is a man: having him in a woman body would be better... Said that, it's strange that in the most intimate act they can share, it's Tom that takes the submissive position, but it's another time when Tom proves that he really loves the other man, even if he didn't speak the words.
Probably the main character of the book is Stanley, with his quirk behavior, and his way to investigate, judging a suspect by the way he furnishes the house or chooses the curtains, but who stole my heart is Tom. I'm really interested in seeing how he evolves in the future books.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/193453174X/?...
July 22, 2013
I am so glad I finally started this series!!
This book has been in my to read pile for ages. I love a good mystery and I was hooked from the first page.
The story brings together Stanley (gay cop) and Tom (supposedly straight cop) to solve a mystery. There is a drag queen serial killer on the loose and Stanley is assigned to work with Tom because Stanley being gay knows the ins and outs of the drag scene.
Stanley is great. He is funny, self-effacing and humorous. He is out and proud and doesn't really care about the underlying homophobia within the police force, in fact he camps things up with his force colleagues just to let them know he can hold his own.
Tom is straight but increasingly curious and becomes increasingly attracted to Stanley. Tom is also macho and this drag queen world confuses him. Nevertheless he reluctantly partners up with Stanley and discovers a few things about himself as he solves the mystery with his gay side kick.
I love Stanley. He accepts who he is and tries his best to be a good cop. He is great at solving crimes, less great at protecting himself and very caring even of those family members who hate him. I loved his humour and his kindness but also his quirky courage and determination. Stanley you are dah man!!
And in the end the mystery is solved and the guys get their man or 'woman' as the case may be.
A great mystery which was equally humorous and serious but without the angst. This goes to the top of my cop series and I am so pleased I have another five books to go in this series!!
Yay!!
This book has been in my to read pile for ages. I love a good mystery and I was hooked from the first page.
The story brings together Stanley (gay cop) and Tom (supposedly straight cop) to solve a mystery. There is a drag queen serial killer on the loose and Stanley is assigned to work with Tom because Stanley being gay knows the ins and outs of the drag scene.
Stanley is great. He is funny, self-effacing and humorous. He is out and proud and doesn't really care about the underlying homophobia within the police force, in fact he camps things up with his force colleagues just to let them know he can hold his own.
Tom is straight but increasingly curious and becomes increasingly attracted to Stanley. Tom is also macho and this drag queen world confuses him. Nevertheless he reluctantly partners up with Stanley and discovers a few things about himself as he solves the mystery with his gay side kick.
I love Stanley. He accepts who he is and tries his best to be a good cop. He is great at solving crimes, less great at protecting himself and very caring even of those family members who hate him. I loved his humour and his kindness but also his quirky courage and determination. Stanley you are dah man!!
And in the end the mystery is solved and the guys get their man or 'woman' as the case may be.
A great mystery which was equally humorous and serious but without the angst. This goes to the top of my cop series and I am so pleased I have another five books to go in this series!!
Yay!!
May 21, 2015
Rating: 3.5 stars
Deadly Nightshade was surprisingly good! It involves a murder mystery with one very butch cop, and one very flamboyant one. The contrast in characters led to some very interesting conversations and fun-to-read interactions between Stanley and Tom. The mystery itself was okay - nothing groundbreaking, but had enough momentum in it to hold onto my interest.
What I didn't like was how quickly things developed between Tom and Stanley. For just a first book in a series, I was expecting a slower burn (think Adrien English). But things kind of sparked and caught fire really quick before everything got snuffed out. The sexual interaction between the two just felt out of place.
But overall, I did enjoy this first entry. I will definitely look forward to book 2 in the (near) future.
Deadly Nightshade was surprisingly good! It involves a murder mystery with one very butch cop, and one very flamboyant one. The contrast in characters led to some very interesting conversations and fun-to-read interactions between Stanley and Tom. The mystery itself was okay - nothing groundbreaking, but had enough momentum in it to hold onto my interest.
What I didn't like was how quickly things developed between Tom and Stanley. For just a first book in a series, I was expecting a slower burn (think Adrien English). But things kind of sparked and caught fire really quick before everything got snuffed out. The sexual interaction between the two just felt out of place.
But overall, I did enjoy this first entry. I will definitely look forward to book 2 in the (near) future.
January 1, 2015
This was quite a fun mystery. I liked the characters, too, but the romance was a bit weird. Still highly enjoyable. Looking forward to read more about Stanley and Tom.
Rating 3.5 stars.
Rating 3.5 stars.
August 17, 2010
Nightshade straddles the line between mystery and romance. The mystery starts with a murder. The murder marks the beginning of the partnership between newly promoted Homicide detective Stanley (who is gay and was promoted specifically because of his connections to the gay community) and veteran detective Tom, who is requisitely and fairly stereotypically straight.
At the end of the day, Nightshade is not a good book. The characters are clichéd and untextured, the mystery is flimsy and see-through and the authorial storytelling technique is nothing to write home about. There's a lot of telling instead of showing and Banis is especially egregious about shuffling POV mid-scene and introducing one-time POVs that are not used again and aren't really vital to the story being told. The police/detective work, in particular, feels like it was written by someone who is not only inexperienced with the intricacies and behavior of police work, but who has never watched a police show or read a crime novel to even fake it creditably. The lack of basic common sense demonstrated by Tom and Stanley in the course of the book is, at times, quite painful. This is not a good book.
At the same time, there's a glimmer of something interesting about it. For one, the murder leads the detectives into the drag subculture and paints a very unsentimental—and somehow truthful feeling—portrait of it, both of the people behind the make-up and those who are attracted to them. I don't feel like drag culture gets a lot of play and, when it does, it's often either fetishized or pathologized. I didn't feel like Banis did either and I appreciated that.
As well, a lot of books I've read tend to write their male characters as monolithically masculine. Which is often, in itself, I think, a reaction to the tendency of mainstream media to portray gay men as effeminate 'fairies' with high pitched voices, but it means that FUBU and slash media is often erasing expressions of queerness that fall outside that manly man expressionism (other than yaoi, which has other issues). So to have Stanley be one of the story's romantic leads and fall outside of that 'norm' was both a call-back to older days and refreshing for bucking the current trend.
I mean…I definitely feel like it's a toss-up with Banis here; a kind of squint-eyed examination where I'm trying to figure out whether Banis is just reverting to the literary expressions and clichés of 70's and 80's pulp or whether it's a deliberate reaction/gesture against the current conventions. And, without sitting down and talking to Banis about it, I don't know. If Stanley's characterization is a mindful representation, then what do we make of the murderous Moira who bears the distinction of being the only biological, cisgendered female (that I recall) of the entire piece as well as the story's villain? Her sexually abusive background is as tiredly stereotypical as Stanley's bigoted father and sister or Tom's mindless musings about what 'faggots/fags' do and are. There's so much cliché to go around that it's impossible to tell what's on purpose and what's just lazy writing, or if it's all just lazy writing.
Definitely the mystery itself felt like lazy—or at least un-clever—writing from the outset. I guessed the twist about "real drag queens" within a couple pages of Hartman's murder and I figured the murderer was Moira the moment she was introduced, though I didn't piece together motive for longer while.
All of this made it feel all the more puzzling that, after all that skating past characterization and plot, Banis chose to dig his heels in on the relationship with Stanley and Tom. I liked it, don't get me wrong, that he chose not to give them a facile (and unearned) HEA; Tom's "straightness" couldn't be bypassed that easily (never mind how fast he went from "ugh fags!" to "fuck me" into Stanley's arms) and the unequal power balance that created between them couldn't either. It was a lot more sensible and satisfying the way that Banis left them, with the possibility of a difficult and fraught future, but without an actuality…because I feel like that's all they ever really had. For all their internal dialogue that what they felt was or might be love, it happened too quickly and without enough basis, imo, to create a credible relationship. The possibility that, at some future time, they might collectively and separately get their shit together to give it a shot, however, gave me just enough closure to feel satisfied with the ending without feeling steamrolled.
So while I still can't call Deadly Nightshade a good book, I can't dismiss it as one with no merit.
At the end of the day, Nightshade is not a good book. The characters are clichéd and untextured, the mystery is flimsy and see-through and the authorial storytelling technique is nothing to write home about. There's a lot of telling instead of showing and Banis is especially egregious about shuffling POV mid-scene and introducing one-time POVs that are not used again and aren't really vital to the story being told. The police/detective work, in particular, feels like it was written by someone who is not only inexperienced with the intricacies and behavior of police work, but who has never watched a police show or read a crime novel to even fake it creditably. The lack of basic common sense demonstrated by Tom and Stanley in the course of the book is, at times, quite painful. This is not a good book.
At the same time, there's a glimmer of something interesting about it. For one, the murder leads the detectives into the drag subculture and paints a very unsentimental—and somehow truthful feeling—portrait of it, both of the people behind the make-up and those who are attracted to them. I don't feel like drag culture gets a lot of play and, when it does, it's often either fetishized or pathologized. I didn't feel like Banis did either and I appreciated that.
As well, a lot of books I've read tend to write their male characters as monolithically masculine. Which is often, in itself, I think, a reaction to the tendency of mainstream media to portray gay men as effeminate 'fairies' with high pitched voices, but it means that FUBU and slash media is often erasing expressions of queerness that fall outside that manly man expressionism (other than yaoi, which has other issues). So to have Stanley be one of the story's romantic leads and fall outside of that 'norm' was both a call-back to older days and refreshing for bucking the current trend.
I mean…I definitely feel like it's a toss-up with Banis here; a kind of squint-eyed examination where I'm trying to figure out whether Banis is just reverting to the literary expressions and clichés of 70's and 80's pulp or whether it's a deliberate reaction/gesture against the current conventions. And, without sitting down and talking to Banis about it, I don't know. If Stanley's characterization is a mindful representation, then what do we make of the murderous Moira who bears the distinction of being the only biological, cisgendered female (that I recall) of the entire piece as well as the story's villain? Her sexually abusive background is as tiredly stereotypical as Stanley's bigoted father and sister or Tom's mindless musings about what 'faggots/fags' do and are. There's so much cliché to go around that it's impossible to tell what's on purpose and what's just lazy writing, or if it's all just lazy writing.
Definitely the mystery itself felt like lazy—or at least un-clever—writing from the outset. I guessed the twist about "real drag queens" within a couple pages of Hartman's murder and I figured the murderer was Moira the moment she was introduced, though I didn't piece together motive for longer while.
All of this made it feel all the more puzzling that, after all that skating past characterization and plot, Banis chose to dig his heels in on the relationship with Stanley and Tom. I liked it, don't get me wrong, that he chose not to give them a facile (and unearned) HEA; Tom's "straightness" couldn't be bypassed that easily (never mind how fast he went from "ugh fags!" to "fuck me" into Stanley's arms) and the unequal power balance that created between them couldn't either. It was a lot more sensible and satisfying the way that Banis left them, with the possibility of a difficult and fraught future, but without an actuality…because I feel like that's all they ever really had. For all their internal dialogue that what they felt was or might be love, it happened too quickly and without enough basis, imo, to create a credible relationship. The possibility that, at some future time, they might collectively and separately get their shit together to give it a shot, however, gave me just enough closure to feel satisfied with the ending without feeling steamrolled.
So while I still can't call Deadly Nightshade a good book, I can't dismiss it as one with no merit.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 10, 2018
I’m not sure how or why it took me so long to meet Tom and Stanley and Victor J. Banis, but I am so happy I finally did. This book is pure laugh-out-loud fun!
Tom Danzel and Stanley Korski are a newly minted detective duo. Partnered up to solve a murder with a drag queen as the main suspect. The higher ups are convinced Stanley has “special insights” into the case because he is “queer as a three-dollar bill”. The very straight
This story has it all! An old school charm, murder, bars named Boom Boom Room, gold lame dresses, baseball bat sized dicks, action, fear, chemistry, swan dive crushes, and wit. Listen to these two go at it…
“I’m not going…”
“Tom, honey…”
“Don’t call me honey.”
“Sugar, we’re looking for a drag queen killer. We aren’t going to find her at a baseball game, right?” He giggled. “Despite the frequent references to baseball bats.”
Stanley caught me off guard so many times! The comments and jabs that came flying out of his mouth made me smile, suddenly snort laugh, and guffaw so loud on a packed train it was embarrassing! I can’t say it enough how much fun I had here. BUT I also found layers of emotion as well. Little peeks behind Tom’s grunting replies and Stanley’s wicked sense of humor. Like their shared late night smoke or Stanley’s visits to his Dad. Both shed new light, real life, and likeability on both men. I liked hanging out with Stanley and Tom or as I like to call them—the confused gentle giant and the hopeless swan diver.
I jumped into this pretty much knowing and expecting one thing—fun. I got it and more. I don’t want to say too much more in fear of spoiling your adventure though. Just jump in! Come see if Stanley can solve his very first murder. I can’t wait to see where Tom and Stanley end up next. And I can’t wait for more Banis word gems and old school phrases like—“What the Sam Hill” or “knuckle sandwich” and more. This book has a charm and feel all its own. I loved it from the gitgo. Plus that ending was perfect. The hope and longing jump off the page! You just want to shake the both of 'em.
”Looking at the broad shoulders as they faded into darkness outside, he had an odd thought; for all his sexism and his limited vision, Tom Danzel would be an easy man to fall in love with.”
Highly recommended. I’m off to book two…
May 8, 2010
Police Detective Tom Danzel takes one look at Stanley Korski and knows right away that he's as queer as a three-dollar bill. He's surprised and not at all happy to be partnered with the smaller man because while he doesn't hate fags he he didn’t want to be partnered with one.
For his part Stanley is just happy he was promoted from uniform cop to Detective. Having worked as a liaison between the Gay Lesbian Council and the police department for a few years he was looking forward to working his first big case. Even if it meant putting up with his big Neanderthal partner who he knows is straight but is sure some day some lucky guy was going to change that. He could always tell, at a single glance. More often than not, it was the super macho type, too.
The case they are assigned to is the murder of county supervisor Gordon Hartman by a supposed drag queen. During their investigation they deal with an interesting mix of well written characters as they try to find the killer before they kill again. There are lots of clues dropped along the way to lead the reader to the identity of the killer but even knowing who it was the big reveal scene at the end works well.
The best part of the story however is Stanley and Tom themselves. I loved Stanley. He is unabashedly gay and makes no attempts to hide who he really is. Witty and with a sharp mind he is fabulously entertaining. Tom has always been straight as an arrow and has no liking for fags and is therefore surprised to find himself having feelings for Stanley. Their interactions, especially when they are sexual, were riveting and hot. For all that, there are times where I couldn't stand Tom but then he would, unintentionally, reveal the vulnerable side of himself and I'd be back to liking him.
The last couple of chapters of the story were kind of heartbreaking and I was able to feel for both Stanley and Tom. There is no happy ending for Stanley and Tom in this book, not even a HFN, but you can immediately follow the men in their next adventure, Deadly Wrong. Knowing this is just book one in this series I was able to accept this ending and happily look forward to reading the continuation, hopefully, of their relationship.
For his part Stanley is just happy he was promoted from uniform cop to Detective. Having worked as a liaison between the Gay Lesbian Council and the police department for a few years he was looking forward to working his first big case. Even if it meant putting up with his big Neanderthal partner who he knows is straight but is sure some day some lucky guy was going to change that. He could always tell, at a single glance. More often than not, it was the super macho type, too.
The case they are assigned to is the murder of county supervisor Gordon Hartman by a supposed drag queen. During their investigation they deal with an interesting mix of well written characters as they try to find the killer before they kill again. There are lots of clues dropped along the way to lead the reader to the identity of the killer but even knowing who it was the big reveal scene at the end works well.
The best part of the story however is Stanley and Tom themselves. I loved Stanley. He is unabashedly gay and makes no attempts to hide who he really is. Witty and with a sharp mind he is fabulously entertaining. Tom has always been straight as an arrow and has no liking for fags and is therefore surprised to find himself having feelings for Stanley. Their interactions, especially when they are sexual, were riveting and hot. For all that, there are times where I couldn't stand Tom but then he would, unintentionally, reveal the vulnerable side of himself and I'd be back to liking him.
The last couple of chapters of the story were kind of heartbreaking and I was able to feel for both Stanley and Tom. There is no happy ending for Stanley and Tom in this book, not even a HFN, but you can immediately follow the men in their next adventure, Deadly Wrong. Knowing this is just book one in this series I was able to accept this ending and happily look forward to reading the continuation, hopefully, of their relationship.
April 21, 2011
This has to be one of the most fun murder mysteries that I have ever read. Stanly Koski is the greenest, naive rookie that I have ever read about. Our straight, slightly homophobic, “bestest” detective Tom Danzel thinks the only issue he has to deal with is an affirmative action partner.
Tom gave him a suspicious look. “Stanley, you’ve never actually worked a homicide investigation, right?”
“No, but how hard can it be? You collect all the clues and you put them together, and voila. I have read a lot of mystery novels.”
Wading through analogies of baseball bats, King Kong, and monster wieners I just knew that a whole bunch of people were going to die with these two pared up. Tom is conflicted about how he felt about Stanley because come to find out, Stanley was pretty smart and attractive…NO Tom will not go there. Stanley…well Stanley does what he always does. He takes the swan dives that end in belly flops.
”Stanley, this is another swan dive.”
“It is not, I swear it. I hate him, totally, absolutely. It’s mutual, too. No chance of this kissing business every happening again. Take my word for it. It was a moment of madness. Two moments of madness, actually. One of mine and one of his. To get even.” Chris stared at him blankly. “It’s just a homicide detective thing. You’re a civilian you wouldn’t understand.”
Needless to say, I laughed a lot, shouted out quotes to whoever was listening and got to the end where I screamed because it could not end that way! This is definitely a series that I will read again and again. I can’t help but to love Stanley and clueless Tom. I am in luck though because I have the next book waiting for me.
THE most, bestest, favorite quote from the book is: ”Oh, great, thanks. She’s got a cock voice and I’ve got a butthole voice, is that what you are trying to tell me?” ( I have laughed at that one all day at work and I couldn’t even repeat it.)
Tom gave him a suspicious look. “Stanley, you’ve never actually worked a homicide investigation, right?”
“No, but how hard can it be? You collect all the clues and you put them together, and voila. I have read a lot of mystery novels.”
Wading through analogies of baseball bats, King Kong, and monster wieners I just knew that a whole bunch of people were going to die with these two pared up. Tom is conflicted about how he felt about Stanley because come to find out, Stanley was pretty smart and attractive…NO Tom will not go there. Stanley…well Stanley does what he always does. He takes the swan dives that end in belly flops.
”Stanley, this is another swan dive.”
“It is not, I swear it. I hate him, totally, absolutely. It’s mutual, too. No chance of this kissing business every happening again. Take my word for it. It was a moment of madness. Two moments of madness, actually. One of mine and one of his. To get even.” Chris stared at him blankly. “It’s just a homicide detective thing. You’re a civilian you wouldn’t understand.”
Needless to say, I laughed a lot, shouted out quotes to whoever was listening and got to the end where I screamed because it could not end that way! This is definitely a series that I will read again and again. I can’t help but to love Stanley and clueless Tom. I am in luck though because I have the next book waiting for me.
THE most, bestest, favorite quote from the book is: ”Oh, great, thanks. She’s got a cock voice and I’ve got a butthole voice, is that what you are trying to tell me?” ( I have laughed at that one all day at work and I couldn’t even repeat it.)
March 5, 2013
I did not buy the relationship between these two men at all. And Stanley is terrible at his job. What a crappy cop. I couldn't believe that he had been made a detective. He was like an incompetent Nancy Drew. (That's a real pet peeve of mine - incompetent characters who we are told are all that. Its right up there with characters who are supposed to be smart but are really just chuckleheads.)
I found the writing awkward. Dialogue between characters came across as info-dumpy, instead of real conversation. Near the end of the book, there is a scene from the POV of the killer that explains the killer's motivation. At that point, who cares about the killer's childhood? I certainly didn't. Because it added nothing to the story. Nothing. And it messed with the pacing. At that point, we should have been barreling towards the climax, not stopping to find out about the crap that made our killer a killer. It was ham handed.
I found the writing awkward. Dialogue between characters came across as info-dumpy, instead of real conversation. Near the end of the book, there is a scene from the POV of the killer that explains the killer's motivation. At that point, who cares about the killer's childhood? I certainly didn't. Because it added nothing to the story. Nothing. And it messed with the pacing. At that point, we should have been barreling towards the climax, not stopping to find out about the crap that made our killer a killer. It was ham handed.
January 11, 2010
Excellent m/m mystery set in San Francisco. Gay police rookie Stanley must be the perfect guy to work on solving murders committed by a drag queen, right? While the SFPD thinks so, straight cop Tom, who gets stuck with Stanley as a partner, is not at all convinced.
March 19, 2011
This one was another surprise. I could have gone without the case, and frankly, if it were just the two of them with their banter and jokes this likely could have been a 5 star read for me. I really enjoyed it and I can't wait to read the next one.
May 13, 2015
At first the stereotypically flaming Stanley bugged me, but his character was actually quite cute and humorous, and a good match up for "If I keep saying I'm straight, I'll stay that way" Tom. The comments about drag vs transgender also made me want to argue with the book, but eventually the difference was clarified for Mr. Straight Cop.
The one-sidedness of the relationship frustrated me, but seemed to fit the characters and the story. When I say it frustrated me, that was a good thing because it kept the story going and kept me wondering if either man would ever figure out what he wanted and what he expected from the other. As this is the first of a series using the same characters, I am happy that they didn't simply hit it off and live happily ever after. Both men realized some faults, but still have plenty of growing to do in the next book(s) of the series.
This is not your typical HEA M/M. I will be checking out the second book in the series.
The one-sidedness of the relationship frustrated me, but seemed to fit the characters and the story. When I say it frustrated me, that was a good thing because it kept the story going and kept me wondering if either man would ever figure out what he wanted and what he expected from the other. As this is the first of a series using the same characters, I am happy that they didn't simply hit it off and live happily ever after. Both men realized some faults, but still have plenty of growing to do in the next book(s) of the series.
This is not your typical HEA M/M. I will be checking out the second book in the series.
October 6, 2016
Well this one is a hard one to rate.
Story wise I enjoyed it mostly. The mystery was intriguing. The clues were all there but as usual I was looking in the wrong direction.
The MM side was compulsive reading. I kept hoping and hoping and then getting my hopes dashed. I think going in I was expecting another Jake and Adrien feel (Josh Lanyons Adrien English series) and I kinda got that.
My main issues I think was the homophobic slurs and name calling. Maybe I've just got too set in the fairy tale way of the MM genre nowadays. Even the books that include homophobia are tamed down some what. But hearing all these people using the fag term was jarring. I'm hoping the queen and girls talk was due to the setting in this one and not the norm for these books.
I'm interested enough to try the next book, mostly because Tom and Stanleys story was left hanging. Only giving this one a 3 star though.
Story wise I enjoyed it mostly. The mystery was intriguing. The clues were all there but as usual I was looking in the wrong direction.
The MM side was compulsive reading. I kept hoping and hoping and then getting my hopes dashed. I think going in I was expecting another Jake and Adrien feel (Josh Lanyons Adrien English series) and I kinda got that.
My main issues I think was the homophobic slurs and name calling. Maybe I've just got too set in the fairy tale way of the MM genre nowadays. Even the books that include homophobia are tamed down some what. But hearing all these people using the fag term was jarring. I'm hoping the queen and girls talk was due to the setting in this one and not the norm for these books.
I'm interested enough to try the next book, mostly because Tom and Stanleys story was left hanging. Only giving this one a 3 star though.
July 1, 2016
Okay - Victor Banis got me! I'm breaking my rule of not reading the same author immediately after finishing a previous novel by the same - but, I feel head-over-heels for the two main characters in Deadly Nightshade - that I can't help myself! The budding, on-again, off-again, relationship of Stanley (gay-boy) and Tom (straight-not-so-sure-boy) hooked me, I said to say. And the mystery is fantastic, too! I have to admit - when first reading this novel, I was more interested in the serial killer drag-queen (I'm a sucker for gay mysteries!) and the mystery; but very soon, I was "drawn" into the on-again/off-again (possible?) relationship between gay cop/straight cop....this novel ended far too soon as I wanted to know more...thus, I'll read the second installment, Deadly Wrong. I can't wait!!!
Read
December 1, 2011Great mystery story with some fascinating characters. Stanley was absolutely charming as the naive, out and proud rookie detective, and I just loved the chemistry between him and his "straight" partner Tom. The setting is vivid too, trawling through the society of drag queens and their fans in San Francisco. I knew exactly who the murderer was straight away, but it didn't spoil the read in the slightest, as I was still fascinated to see how they'd solve the case.
It's not exactly a romantic read, and the ending is more negative than hopeful, but there's an ongoing series which I'll be very happy to devour!
It's not exactly a romantic read, and the ending is more negative than hopeful, but there's an ongoing series which I'll be very happy to devour!
September 18, 2014
This was by far one of the hardest books for me to rate. If I rate it solely on the story/mystery I would totally give it a 4 or 5 as I enjoyed it. To rate it on the romantic aspect between the characters it would earn a resounding 1 only because there are no negative stars possible to give. I say this because Tom is an asshat! And Stanley is a desperate man willing to be taken advantage of, used, treated like shit, thrown away, even after all that he clearly asks for more. Really? That's just sad. It makes me pity him.
I guess I will settle somewhere in between. I truly hope the next books get better.
I guess I will settle somewhere in between. I truly hope the next books get better.
May 13, 2011
This book was not at all what I expected. It was at times hilariously funny and other times masterly insightful. This book defies typical genre casting. It is in it's own category of humor/mystery/suspense/romance/social commentary and all done well.
It starts out sit-com like, so if you can't laugh at stereotypes then this book isn't for you. The author does not stay here, but evolves as the characters get to know each other, but this kind of humor pops up through out the story. I LOVED it, but it's not for everyone.
I look forward to reading the rest of the series!!!!!
It starts out sit-com like, so if you can't laugh at stereotypes then this book isn't for you. The author does not stay here, but evolves as the characters get to know each other, but this kind of humor pops up through out the story. I LOVED it, but it's not for everyone.
I look forward to reading the rest of the series!!!!!
February 20, 2011
I liked this book. I like these characters. Tom the knight in (slightly tarnished) shiny armor, Stanley the smart, feisty gay guy who makes the gay work for him. Some of the premises are a bit of a stretch, so if you like your cop fic stunningly accurate read something else. I also liked that the guys are very human, very flawed, and the "romantic" part of the story is not an easy HEA. I strongly suggest you have book two, "Deadly Wrong" handy to leap right into. (I'm glad I did!)
April 17, 2018
Well, I'm sorry but this was bad! I know this is just entertainment and it's not meant to be taken seriously (although I would have hoped the author would had taken it seriously when writing it!) and there were a few amusing lines and the all-too-familiar conceit of bringing together antagonistic characters has its charms at certain points but that was pretty much it.
I chose to read this book because it appeared at the top of a list on this site. That'll teach me!
So where to start?
Perhaps with the casual but rampant transphobia permeating the whole book. Not only Mr Banis doesn't seem to know or understand the deference between a drag queen, and "chick with a dick" or transgender as he calls them (I don't think he uses the word "tranny", which is surprising), he also repeatedly implies that trans women are not "real women" as he puts it.
Then we can perhaps move to the protagonists and their relationship.
THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPH WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS.
One has to wonder how those two ever made it to the police force, and even, in the case of Tom, to be successful at the job. He who starts chasing an armed suspect and doesn't think to pick up his gun first! When the same Tom narrowly escapes death at the hands of the murderer, it doesn't come into those two to go check what their main suspect is up to, they'd rather go home and have sex (!). and talking about sex... I'm sorry but I don't think they are very good at that either. The sex scenes feel perfunctory, with no real indication in what transpires of any real passion. Stanley is supposed to be clever when the only indications is that he is marginally less of a boor than Tom. Finally, I simply don't buy Tom conversion. Even if it was possible for a highly sexually active grown adult to be so little self-aware, his transformation from a red-bloodied straight only gay-hater to a willing bottom in love with an effeminate man is much too sudden and complete to be plausible.
END OF SPOILERS.
The mystery element of the book. While the premise is intriguing enough, although not altogether original, it doesn't feel like it's treated particularly deftly.
Deftness is I think was is generally missing from this book. *rant alert* I'll repeat that I understand the inconsequential nature of such works as this one BUT why, oh why, must they almost always be so badly written?! (Notable exceptions, in my experience, being found in the works of James Lear and J.H. Trumble) Yes, the plot and the various incidents it presents maybe take a more preponderant place in the mind of a genre reader than in that of someone reading literary fiction but surely, part of the pleasure of reading (whatever the text), it seems to me, comes from the language used to draw the reader and guide him through the narrative. So, please, dear genre writers (and particularly M/M authors), make an effort to construct syntactically correct sentences, to use words in their correct meaning and generally to just consider you prose more carefully before sending your manuscript off to the publisher. *end of rant*
And in case you hadn't guessed this book is terribly written...
I won't be picking up other examples of Banis' extensive oeuvre (over 150 published novel and nonfiction works, apparently! No wonder he is so careless if he churns out so much stuff).
Finally, a positive note: at the end of my copy, there is information and URLs to the Trevor Project, a domestic violence project for gay men, GLAAD and resources on a number of University website. A very commendable idea.
I chose to read this book because it appeared at the top of a list on this site. That'll teach me!
So where to start?
Perhaps with the casual but rampant transphobia permeating the whole book. Not only Mr Banis doesn't seem to know or understand the deference between a drag queen, and "chick with a dick" or transgender as he calls them (I don't think he uses the word "tranny", which is surprising), he also repeatedly implies that trans women are not "real women" as he puts it.
Then we can perhaps move to the protagonists and their relationship.
THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPH WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS.
One has to wonder how those two ever made it to the police force, and even, in the case of Tom, to be successful at the job. He who starts chasing an armed suspect and doesn't think to pick up his gun first! When the same Tom narrowly escapes death at the hands of the murderer, it doesn't come into those two to go check what their main suspect is up to, they'd rather go home and have sex (!). and talking about sex... I'm sorry but I don't think they are very good at that either. The sex scenes feel perfunctory, with no real indication in what transpires of any real passion. Stanley is supposed to be clever when the only indications is that he is marginally less of a boor than Tom. Finally, I simply don't buy Tom conversion. Even if it was possible for a highly sexually active grown adult to be so little self-aware, his transformation from a red-bloodied straight only gay-hater to a willing bottom in love with an effeminate man is much too sudden and complete to be plausible.
END OF SPOILERS.
The mystery element of the book. While the premise is intriguing enough, although not altogether original, it doesn't feel like it's treated particularly deftly.
Deftness is I think was is generally missing from this book. *rant alert* I'll repeat that I understand the inconsequential nature of such works as this one BUT why, oh why, must they almost always be so badly written?! (Notable exceptions, in my experience, being found in the works of James Lear and J.H. Trumble) Yes, the plot and the various incidents it presents maybe take a more preponderant place in the mind of a genre reader than in that of someone reading literary fiction but surely, part of the pleasure of reading (whatever the text), it seems to me, comes from the language used to draw the reader and guide him through the narrative. So, please, dear genre writers (and particularly M/M authors), make an effort to construct syntactically correct sentences, to use words in their correct meaning and generally to just consider you prose more carefully before sending your manuscript off to the publisher. *end of rant*
And in case you hadn't guessed this book is terribly written...
I won't be picking up other examples of Banis' extensive oeuvre (over 150 published novel and nonfiction works, apparently! No wonder he is so careless if he churns out so much stuff).
Finally, a positive note: at the end of my copy, there is information and URLs to the Trevor Project, a domestic violence project for gay men, GLAAD and resources on a number of University website. A very commendable idea.
May 30, 2015
I'm in a very happy place right now, because A, I'm currently reading Tell Me It's Real and laughing so loud I'm sure my neighbours are embarrassed for me (frankly, it would take a pretty big dump of dumb or wrong to make me retract my happy-endorsement even at this early stage), and B, I didn't crack my skull open on a brick wall while reading "Deadly Nightshade". Not a bad place to be, all things considered.
Seriously, I don't get it. Everything in this book was ridiculous (in my opinion). Okay, so that's an exaggeration. There was maybe 2, possibly 4% of this that made a bit of sense, but otherwise, it was cringingly, forehead-slappingly bad. It didn't work on any level, as either a police procedural or a romance. It barely even worked as a functioning exploration of a couple of characters in a difficult situation. I try not to be a raving feminist, as well, but my hackles rose several times while reading this. At the end, I'm not sure if the author simply did a good job of creating a misogynistic, self-absorbed, emotionally-stunted dickhead of a character, or if this is just how the author thinks things are. Either way, I wasn't happy about it.
And while we're speaking about characters, there was absolutely no consistency in personality, especially with Stanley. One moment he's taking extreme liberties with Tom (massively homophobic, or at least homo-confused), , but when Tom pretty much asks for it, , Stanley decides he's gone too far. Then there's the whole they've known each other for less than 24 hours and yet it's true love? What the?!?! And I thought the misogynist was messed up.
Which segues nicely into the is-he-serious? rant about Tom's attitude toward Stanley performing oral sex on him. Basically, that he, Tom, was giving him, Stanley, a gift by letting him, Stanley, suck his, Tom's, dick. A gift. It only got worse when he let Stanley . That one was a special gift. Again, not sure if it's entirely the character or authorial intrusion, but either way, it made me feel squick quite a bit. The fact that Tom isn't made to rethink his position, even just a little bit, really put the nail in the coffin on this book for me. Sure, he has a bit of an epiphany about his views on homosexuality, but the fact that he couldn't extend this newfound ability to navel gaze in the direction of all his faults just pissed me off.
The only thing that trumps these idiots in their personal issues is their ability to perform their jobs. A more ineffectual pair of investigators I've never come across, and I read Full Release. Honestly, the 'twist' is apparent from the first 25% and the murderer only a few pages later, because once you've worked out the twist, that's it. There's only one person it could be. Not only can't these guys see the falsies right in front of them, they're not likely to pass their next performance review, what with the tendencies to drink on the job; ignore clues; get roofied by the perp; fall over while trying to draw a gun; leave two guns lying on the floor in favour of chasing a killer unarmed; and once the impossible has happened .
This is all just my opinion, though. Others seem to enjoy this, so maybe it's me. All I can hope is that my ramblings here might help steer like-minded readers away from this before they make the same mistake I did.
Seriously, I don't get it. Everything in this book was ridiculous (in my opinion). Okay, so that's an exaggeration. There was maybe 2, possibly 4% of this that made a bit of sense, but otherwise, it was cringingly, forehead-slappingly bad. It didn't work on any level, as either a police procedural or a romance. It barely even worked as a functioning exploration of a couple of characters in a difficult situation. I try not to be a raving feminist, as well, but my hackles rose several times while reading this. At the end, I'm not sure if the author simply did a good job of creating a misogynistic, self-absorbed, emotionally-stunted dickhead of a character, or if this is just how the author thinks things are. Either way, I wasn't happy about it.
And while we're speaking about characters, there was absolutely no consistency in personality, especially with Stanley. One moment he's taking extreme liberties with Tom (massively homophobic, or at least homo-confused), , but when Tom pretty much asks for it, , Stanley decides he's gone too far. Then there's the whole they've known each other for less than 24 hours and yet it's true love? What the?!?! And I thought the misogynist was messed up.
Which segues nicely into the is-he-serious? rant about Tom's attitude toward Stanley performing oral sex on him. Basically, that he, Tom, was giving him, Stanley, a gift by letting him, Stanley, suck his, Tom's, dick. A gift. It only got worse when he let Stanley . That one was a special gift. Again, not sure if it's entirely the character or authorial intrusion, but either way, it made me feel squick quite a bit. The fact that Tom isn't made to rethink his position, even just a little bit, really put the nail in the coffin on this book for me. Sure, he has a bit of an epiphany about his views on homosexuality, but the fact that he couldn't extend this newfound ability to navel gaze in the direction of all his faults just pissed me off.
The only thing that trumps these idiots in their personal issues is their ability to perform their jobs. A more ineffectual pair of investigators I've never come across, and I read Full Release. Honestly, the 'twist' is apparent from the first 25% and the murderer only a few pages later, because once you've worked out the twist, that's it. There's only one person it could be. Not only can't these guys see the falsies right in front of them, they're not likely to pass their next performance review, what with the tendencies to drink on the job; ignore clues; get roofied by the perp; fall over while trying to draw a gun; leave two guns lying on the floor in favour of chasing a killer unarmed; and once the impossible has happened .
This is all just my opinion, though. Others seem to enjoy this, so maybe it's me. All I can hope is that my ramblings here might help steer like-minded readers away from this before they make the same mistake I did.
January 1, 2013
3.4 stars, not quite enough to round up to 4.
For the most part, this was breezy and fun.
Representative paragraph:
"Tom was afraid to look, afraid he’d catch the fucking faggot checking out his buns. Which was exactly what Stanley was doing, in fact, thinking that they were quite splendid indeed, such a lovely baroque shape to them, not the little melony type that did nothing for him. He liked buns with some substance to them, something to hang onto when the action got going. And they were hard, too, you could see that just looking at them, like they were carved out of granite."
I liked the character of Tom, the straight macho cop. He was a Neanderthal, clueless about all things gay -- and also clueless about himself. He wasn't vicious or mean or hateful, just completely and totally and 100% ignorant. It was great to see him try to figure out just what the hell was going on in his own head. Even if, so far, he's taking waaaaaay too much time to get his head screwed on straight (or not straight, as the case may be).
Stanley, the effeminate gay cop, seemed like too much of a parody to me. This guy has been through the police academy, for heaven's sake, he's *got* to have some physical and mental strength and some ability to take care of himself -- but Banis has him getting nearly hysterical like a little girl (not even like a grown woman, mind you) and being 100% incompetent at anything resembling the physical aspects of police work. That was annoying -- it even felt insulting at times.
The solution to the mystery was a bit obvious, but the story kept me interested nonetheless. I do plan on reading at least one more in the series, to see where Banis takes our characters.
For the most part, this was breezy and fun.
Representative paragraph:
"Tom was afraid to look, afraid he’d catch the fucking faggot checking out his buns. Which was exactly what Stanley was doing, in fact, thinking that they were quite splendid indeed, such a lovely baroque shape to them, not the little melony type that did nothing for him. He liked buns with some substance to them, something to hang onto when the action got going. And they were hard, too, you could see that just looking at them, like they were carved out of granite."
I liked the character of Tom, the straight macho cop. He was a Neanderthal, clueless about all things gay -- and also clueless about himself. He wasn't vicious or mean or hateful, just completely and totally and 100% ignorant. It was great to see him try to figure out just what the hell was going on in his own head. Even if, so far, he's taking waaaaaay too much time to get his head screwed on straight (or not straight, as the case may be).
Stanley, the effeminate gay cop, seemed like too much of a parody to me. This guy has been through the police academy, for heaven's sake, he's *got* to have some physical and mental strength and some ability to take care of himself -- but Banis has him getting nearly hysterical like a little girl (not even like a grown woman, mind you) and being 100% incompetent at anything resembling the physical aspects of police work. That was annoying -- it even felt insulting at times.
The solution to the mystery was a bit obvious, but the story kept me interested nonetheless. I do plan on reading at least one more in the series, to see where Banis takes our characters.
January 5, 2016
The culprit and the motive were both so obvious, I'd figured everything out before the book had reached the 25% mark; after that, it was a slow, boring slog through sub-par investigations, unintelligent speculation, gay angst, a very unappealing romance and even more unappealing sex scenes, until the "homicide detectives" finally managed to see what was right in front of their eyes. Not to mention that internalised homophobia, while surely one of the realities of being a gay man, doesn't make for very pleasant reading when the book is supposed to be an M/M romance. And Tom's Hot and Cold personality was annoying and dubious: this isn't a yaoi manga, FFS; tsunderes are cute in Japanese fiction - where it's a bit of a social phenomenon - but not in western fiction. And what the hell was Stanley's deal? Letting love-at-first-sight dictate all your subsequent actions and thoughts really kills a character's potential for being interesting, if you ask me.
The characterisation was riddled with tired, boring clichés hailing back to the '80's, the dialogue was clumsily written, the cops' sense of duty was skewed and their conduct was exceedingly unprofessional... The list of peeves only grows longer, so I'll cite the one good thing about it: the down-to-earth portrayal of the drag club scene.
Will I read another Deadly Mystery? I'll probably give the 2nd one a chance - because the books are short and quick enough a read for that - but if there isn't a drastic up-tick in almost all aspects of the story, it's off to my 'dropped' shelf for the whole series.
The characterisation was riddled with tired, boring clichés hailing back to the '80's, the dialogue was clumsily written, the cops' sense of duty was skewed and their conduct was exceedingly unprofessional... The list of peeves only grows longer, so I'll cite the one good thing about it: the down-to-earth portrayal of the drag club scene.
Will I read another Deadly Mystery? I'll probably give the 2nd one a chance - because the books are short and quick enough a read for that - but if there isn't a drastic up-tick in almost all aspects of the story, it's off to my 'dropped' shelf for the whole series.
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